1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a continuous casting mold for metals having a large difference between the melting temperature and the solidifying temperature thereof, such as white cast iron, high-alloyed special cast iron, high-speed tool steel, high-alloyed copper alloy, etc.
2. Description of the Prior Art:
A vertical type continuous casting method wherein a molten metal is directly poured in a water-cooling metal mold has generally been employed as a casting method which is applied to such metals that are reluctant to cause defects by quenching, such as ordinary steel, stainless steel, etc., and is suitable for mass production. On the other hand, a horizontal type continuous casting method wherein a graphite die is set in a water-cooling type cooler has been employed for casting such metals that have a comparatively low melting temperature and do not cause reaction with graphite in their molten states.
When a metal which is liable to cause a reaction with graphite is continuously cast using a graphite die, the portions of the graphite die which are brought into contact with the molten metal are eroded to greatly shorten the life of the graphite die and furthermore the casting operation is accompanied by the occurence of a sticking phenomenon upon solidification of the molten metal, causing rupture in a short period of time or making it difficult to draw the solidified metal from the die. Thus, such a casting method is not used for practical purposes. Moreover, it has been believed to be difficult to apply continuous casting to metals having a large difference between the melting temperature and the solidifying temperature thereof, such as, for example, white cast iron, high-alloyed special cast iron, high-speed tool steel, high cobalt-containing copper alloy, high chromium-containing copper alloy, high tin-containing copper alloy, etc., since in this case the solidified shell formed is weak and the molten metal is inferior in fluidity as compared with the case of using metals having a small difference between the melting temperature and the solidifying temperature.